Vegan Ham

Tofurken

Melon Bunny

Fruit Sweetened Banana Bread

A Dream of Spring

Vegan Corn Dogs

Dec 21, 2008

Ho! Ho! Ho! Easy gingerbread houses are here! Ok, well, they're not made of gingerbread, but it is one less time-consuming step to make, especially if you're like me and don't have any interest in eating your creation. Besides, graham crackers are delicious too and are pretty easy to work with- and hey, if you mess up- just grab another cracker! If you're making these with kids, I would recommend making the little ones- less time, less complicated, and more instant gratification. Below this, I have instructions on how to make the trees- they're even easier!

Spinz:First, cover your piece of foam core or cardboardwith parchment paper (wrap like a present to coverone side). This will keep things from sticking!Next, make the "glue" that's gonna hold everythingtogether. Mix the powdered sugar with the tablespoonof water, until it forms a very thick almost pastey glue.You don't want it runny like Elmer's, but thicker likeketchup. If you need to add more water, do so a littlewater at a time, until it combines. Now transfer yoursugar glue to the squeeze bottle. Note: I will from thispoint refer to my sugar concoction as "glue," even though you should NEVER use real glue- someone might try to eat it, like your dogs.To construct a larger house, you'll need to glue somepieces together first. You'll need 10 unbrokencrackers to build 4 walls. Take 2 crackers and glue themtogether by putting a line of glue between them, thenlaying them side by side and putting another line ofglue over the seam. Wait about 5 minutes before turningthem over to put another line of glue on the opposite side'sseam. Do the same for all four walls.For 2 of the 4 walls, you'll need to cut out some trianglesso you don't have gaping holes in your roof. Do this, by"sawing" your cracker very gently with a serrated steakknife (as shown), paying particular attention to the cornerswhich crumble easily. Glue the triangles onto the tops of2 of the walls in the same manner as before.Make sure to wait at least 10 minutes before moving themso the glue has time to set completely.Next, I would recommend decorating your wall BEFOREyou assemble your house. Once the decorations have set,put together the walls by putting a line of glue on one walland positioning it at a 45 degree angle to an adjacent wall.Naturally, walls with triangles will be on opposite sides-for those who never built things with Lego's! Lastly, use1 1/2 crackers (lengthwise) to build your roof. Build it bygluing lines on one cracker to fit onto the bottom of oneside of the roof, using the triangles as support, then gluingthe half piece on top of that. Then, do the opposite side ofthe roof in the same manner. Don't worry too muchabout the seams not looking neat or matching upperfectly, as you can cover them up with more glueand candies, as shown.

For the little houses, which are cute and much faster tomake- a great craft project for kids! Break wholegraham crackers in half to form squares. I wouldrecommend scoring them with the serrated knife(gentle sawing motion), before breaking them- thatway they'll break into perfect squares every time.The hardest part is cutting the triangles, which you'lldo in the same manner as the large ones- just on asmaller scale. I've been lazy in the past, and justleft them open, covering them later with candy canes-mini ones are great. With these little guys, youcan start assembling soon after you finish decorating,they should only take a few minutes to set.

In a small bowl, put a few drops of green food coloring into alittle bit of water. With a brush, dip into the mixture andblot with a paper towel. Brush onto the cone while holdingthe tip (you may want to wear surgical type gloves to avoidgreen fingers). While still wet, roll the cone in the sugarcandy (regular sugar would work too). Let dry for a fewminutes. Now it's ready to decorate with your "glue" fromthe projects above.